


don't be afraid of a little bit of pain (love hurts sometimes when you do it right)

by aletterinthenameofsanity



Series: if this love is pain (then darling let's love tonight) [17]
Category: Druck | SKAM (Germany), SKAM (France), SKAM (Italy), SKAM (Netherlands), SKAM (Norway), SKAM (Spain), WTFock | Skam (Belgium)
Genre: ALSO CAN I GET A SKAM AUSTIN S3, AND MEETS HIS EVEN, AND SO MY BELOVED CHILDREN CAN STAY FANON, And ends up living with Nico and Marti, Asexual Character, Asexuality, BECAUSE I WILL DO IT, BUT THE TIMELINE FOR OTHER SKAMS IS NOT THAT IMPORTANT, Cris and Isak as the boysquad, Druck in spring 2017, Dutch!Even (well he's technically Belgian but he's Lucas') is a writer, I JUST DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO, I WOULD BE SO HAPPY TO HAVE CANON JOSS THIS, LISTEN I WILL GIVE LUCAS HIS EVEN IF NPO WON'T, Lucas moves to Antwerp to uni, M/M, Nico and Marti function as the Eskild character, PLEASE RENEW SO THAT I GET CANON DUTCH EVAK, POC Even, POV Outsider, SO THAT I DON'T HAVE TO WRITE AN OC FOR SHAY'S EVEN, Skam Italy and OG in fall 2015, Skam Spain and France in spring 2016, and wears glasses, for a reminder in this 'verse WTFOCK happened fall 2019, hits all your fav plot beats (but with a twist), takes place in Fall 2020, with guest appearances by Kes for certain parts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22157098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aletterinthenameofsanity/pseuds/aletterinthenameofsanity
Summary: “Hey, Lucas,” the guy says, “You forgot your textbook.”And then he places a textbook on the table in front of Lucas, whose gaze is pinned to him, eyes laced with some combination of shock and horrified intrigue, and Isak looks to Cris and Marti, who are looking at him with barely contained expressions of shocked recognition.Do you think-? Isak almost asks, and Marti glances to Lucas and the guy.It couldn’t possibly, Marti’s eyes seem to say as they both look to Cris.You never know, she seems to be answering back.“That’s actually mine,” Isak answers after just a second of pause, because it is. “Where’d you find it?”The guy looks to Lucas for a long, hard moment where Lucas just swallows but is unable to look away. Eventually, the guy just shrugs. “Oh, I think Lucas just left it at the coffeeshop,” the guy says, which isn’t even that bad of a lie- they all know Lucas studies there every morning, after all.Isak, Cris, and Marti are left to question if they’ve somehow stumbled into the story of one of them that has barely even begun, an Isak whose Even he found in university, in another city than his own, long after anything should have started.Well, shit.
Relationships: Cristina "Cris" Soto Peña/Joana Bianchi Acosta, Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant, Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen, Lucas van Der Heijden/Michaël Claes, Lucas van der Heijden/Original Male Character, Matteo Florenzi/David (Druck), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Niccolò Fares/Martino Rametta, Sander Driesen/Robbe IJzermans
Series: if this love is pain (then darling let's love tonight) [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550230
Comments: 39
Kudos: 155





	1. 3.01-3.04

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bluesxrgent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluesxrgent/gifts).
  * Inspired by [mystery of love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20990240) by [bluesxrgent](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluesxrgent/pseuds/bluesxrgent). 



> Title is from "Save Room" by John Legend.
> 
> It won't be mentioned in the story but "Slip Away" by Perfume Genius is most definitely the song that Lucas and Michaël have their first kiss to.
> 
> Alright, guys! This is inspired by the amazing NL!Season 3 AU "mystery of love" written by bluesxrgent, without which I never would have touched Lucas's story with a ten foot pole. That fanfic is my personal Season 3 AU, but I couldn't help but want to write my own (impossible) AU.
> 
> Also, for those who haven't been reading this series so far, WTFock went massively canon divergent around the mid-point of Episode 6. The big reveal wasn't that Sander was bipolar but rather that he was homeless and had been living with Britt after running away from a bad foster care situation. She kicked him out when they broke up and he ended up living with Robbe at the flatshare after the truth had gotten out (all of this is covered in the first fic in this series). Then the two of them went to the police (and separate therapies, each in his time) along with Zoe, and then had ended up hanging out with a couple of Sander's friends from art school (Eliott and Even), who had in turn introduced Sander and Robbe to everyone else. Bada bing, bada boom, the other Evaks have been living in Antwerp for a few years and are pretty aware of them being almost-parallel universe versions of each other. Some of the Evens go to art school together, some of the Isaks go to university together. Shenanigans ensued after that.
> 
> This is Lucas entering all of that in fall 2020.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Evaks saw Rosander happening through Even/Eliott's POV on Sander's side of things- and now they get a glimpse at Lucas and Michaël, but through Lucas' side of things.
> 
> Also, soundtrack for Lucas' scenes that are going on in the background will be posted at the end of each chapter, along with any particular notes about character symbolism/other stuff. Though this story is entirely told from the perspective of the other Evaks looking in (thus not showing the more intimate scenes, like the first kiss and O Helga Natt and similar moments), I do (for some goddamn reason) have a soundtrack cued up. Because why not?

_You wanna learn the ones you love_

_Let everyone you love learn you_

_Whoever you thinking of_

_Hold on and mean it_

_I know a kiss was a somersault_

_What my stomach did, memory followed_

_So I'll say that I can recall every lip taste and shake_

**_-Penny & Sparrow_, Recuerda**

When Nico and Marti head into the Student Center, Nico doesn't entirely remember him and Marti signing up to host an international student at their flat.

But they don't have regrets or a desire to decline the kid that's been signed up to their flat. Or, at least, he hopes he won't. Marti remembers how hard it had been to move to a new country, and Nico had already been living here- he can hardly imagine how hard it would be to move somewhere where he knew no one at all.

The kid- and Nico is well aware of the fact that the “kid” is only six years younger than him, but that’s a shitton of time- has curly hair and blue eyes and a confident facade that looks to be about three minutes from breaking.

“Listen,” Marti says with the kind of confidence that Nico knows has taken years to cultivate, “You seem like a nice guy and all, but before we let you into your house I’ve got to let you know. We’re together, and we’ve got a lot of friends who come over who are queer as well. You’re not homophobic, right?”

The kid’s eyes go a bit wide in shock (at what, Nico's not sure) as he looks at Marti, but he shakes his head. "No, I'm not," he says, "One of my friend's flatmates is gay."

“Good,” Marti says with a small sigh, then holds out a hand. "I'm Marti Rametta, and this is my boyfriend, Nico Fares." Nico gives the kid a small smile, which seems to put him at ease. "We moved here from Rome."

“Lucas van Der Heijden,” the kid says with a smile that lights up his face as he reaches out a hand to shake Marti's. "I'm from Amsterdam."

Nico lets out a small laugh. "We've got a friend named Lucas, too, though he's French so they're pretentious and pronounce it without the "s.""

Marti snorts. "You're one to talk about pretentious, Mr. Literal Dinosaur Phone Until The Contrabbandieri Convinced Me To Change It."

"Oh _really_ , Mr. Last Man on Earth? Which one of us rambled on about an American TV show for an entire _half hour_ without stopping, literally the first time we met?"

"Let's get to the flat before he succeeds in damaging my reputation around school any further, Lucas," Marti says to the kid, who offers them both a tight smile before hefting his duffle bag. Nico grabs the small suitcase, and the kid doesn't have anything beyond just the suitcase, the duffle bag, and the backpack currently on his shoulders. Not very much stuff, for a move to a completely different country.

Well, no matter- they've got plenty in their flat, and they _did_ specifically put in to host more...financially strapped international students. Nico could afford to take on one extra flatmate, if said flatmate occasionally bought groceries and contributed to chores- and from the earnest look in the kid's eyes, Nico has no doubt that Lucas will be good about that.

-

It’s a few weeks into Lucas living with Marti and Nico that things take a rather...interesting turn.

Lucas has taken to studying with Marti, which of course easily expanded to studying with Cris and Isak, who are always over to study anyway. They're all on the biotech track at the same university, and though Cris, Isak, and Marti are in their fourth year versus Lucas in his first, it just kind of makes sense to work together.

Today, they’re having lunch between classes, an easy time to study, and they’re talking about the uses of electromagnetism in biological engineering- a subject that Isak remembers about discussing with Giovanni last year when he visited in the spring.

Lucas seems to be really enjoying the topic, eyes bright with curiosity, and Isak's rather happy that he's so easily been taken under their wing and into their friend group. He really enjoys the science discussions that Cris, Isak, and Marti have- maybe more than any of them save Isak, to be honest- and, well, there that is that other thing.

That rather _big_ thing.

To be completely honest, Isak has his suspicions about the kid. Not bad ones, of course, just a few pings on his usually useless gaydar. The way that the kid looks at them all with yearning, sometimes, when he thinks they’re not looking, the way his gaze will sometimes focus on held hands or kisses on cheeks or casual hugs or examples of affection.

Isak knows internalized homophobia, though. He gets the fear of not wanting to come out.

And maybe the kid has taken a little bit longer than it took any of them, but hey, the kid doesn’t have an Even. He doesn’t seem to have something pulling him out of the closet and he definitely has a hundred reasons keeping him in. Look what happened to Robbe and Sander last year, after all.

So Isak’s not going to force him, either, just because he feels a bit of sympathy for the kid. No one deserves to be pushed out- everyone should get their own opportunity to come out, in their own time. If the kid starts to ask questions, then they’ll help, of course. But for now- just being his friend seems to be putting him enough at ease, giving him a place where he can study and laugh and hang out without being judged, a place where he can be comfortable without his friends.

And besides- Lucas is honestly a lot of fun to hang out with, not just to study with. He’s got a rather sharp and witty tongue, providing better commentary and jokes than nearly anyone in their squad, even the other man who shares his namesake. Whatever he decides to do with his sexuality, whenever he decides to come out, he's plenty of fun in the meantime- a genuine friend of the group's, despite not being one of them.

Isak’s thoughts are interrupted, though, by a guy walking up to their table. He doesn’t seem to extraordinary in anyway- he’s got dark brown skin and close-cropped curls, dressed in slacks, a button-down under a leather jacket, and a pair of loafers. There are glasses perched on top of his nose, similar to Cris’, and he’s got a pencil tucked behind his ear.

All in all, he’s a guy that Isak wouldn’t glance twice at in passing, just thinking him another university student.

“Hey, Lucas,” the guy says, “You forgot your textbook.”

And then he places a textbook on the table in front of Lucas, whose gaze is pinned to him, eyes laced with some combination of shock and horrified intrigue, and Isak looks to Cris and Marti, who are looking at him with barely contained expressions of shocked recognition.

 _Do you think-?_ Isak almost asks, and Marti glances to Lucas and the guy.

 _It couldn’t possibly,_ Marti’s eyes seem to say as they both look to Cris, who has a bemused smile creeping onto her lips.

 _You never know_ , she seems to be answering back.

“That’s actually mine,” Isak answers after just a second of pause, because it is. “Where’d you find it?”

The guy looks to Lucas for a long, hard moment where Lucas just swallows but is unable to look away. Eventually, the guy just shrugs. “Oh, I think Lucas just left it at the coffeeshop,” the guy says, which isn’t even that bad of a lie- they all know Lucas studies there every morning, after all.

"Have a good day," he says after a few more moments of silent staring at Lucas, offering up an awkward wave before walking off, leaving Isak, Cris, and Marti to question for a few more moments if they’ve somehow stumbled into the story of one of them that has _barely even begun_ , an Isak whose Even he found in university, in another city than his own, long after anything should have started.

Well, shit.

-

**GROUPCHAT: SIX DUMBASSES AND SIX BADASSES**

**Oh shit.**

**_lastloveronearth_ : Everything OK, Marti?**

**_losientocris_ : u guys r not gonna believe what just happened**

**_artvandeley_ : You guys are studying w/ Lucas VDH, right?**

**_joananoexiste_ : Si, we're supposed to pick them up in an hour.**

**Isak, Cris, and I think we found another one of our counterparts.**

**_sterkerdanijzer_ : but i thought sander and i were the flemish ones?**

**_isakyaki_ : you're right abt that: Lucas VDH is dutch**

_**da_vid.gif:** _ **But Lucas doesn't have a boyfriend.**

 _**srodulv:** _ **He can't be one of your counterparts w/out one of us, right?**

**But he did just return a textbook to Lucas. A textbook that belonged to Isak.**

**_isakyaki_ : the kid even pretended that he'd found it in the coffeeshop instead of hanging out with him, then shrugged and left.**

**_earthlingoddity_ : Why does that make him one of your counterparts?**

**_matteohno_ : [ohshit.jpg]**

**_lucallemant_ : Oh shit.**

_**losientocris:** _ **si. oh shit.**

 _**earthlingoddity:** _ **Take that back, then. Guess he could be.**

 _**artvandeley:** _ **You guys get any information abt the boy who dropped off the textbook?**

**_isakyaki:_ nope. looks like we're the boysquad this time**

_**lucallemant:** _ **May non-existent god help us all.**

-

Lucas VDH keeps leaving to go to parties, hasty excuses made for nights that he'd previously been scheduled to hang out with them, and Lucas really should be more upset. He know he should.

But he remembers ditching his friends to hang out with Eliott, ditching the girls to run through the streets and kiss under a bridge, and he can't really blame Lucas VDH for it. He really can't. Not when he remembers the sweet taste of freedom, of getting to step out of that fucking closet for the first time in your life, of getting to be in love and be free and be _comfortable_ with himself.

Lucas VDH (the second of his namesake, as Lucas sometimes likes to joke with Eliott) is getting to experience that. He's getting to fall head over heels into first (and, though he doesn't know it, final) love, getting to kiss the boy he likes, getting to spend time where his lungs don't feel like a vice around his heart but instead full of blessed, life-giving oxygen.

And no one else really seems to care, either. On a night when Lucas VDH should be hanging out studying with them, he's out somewhere, a hastily crafted excuse about a party texted to Nico and Marti to explain why he can't make it to the common room to hang out. (He might _actually_ be at a party, who knows? Though, more likely, he could be somewhere with his Eliott.)

Eliott and Even graduated last year, but Sander's still here, and thus they've still got an easy in to the common room after the school closes at night- and a great place to hang out, like usual.

Unlike usual, though, they're talking about Lucas VDH and the mysterious boy he's with- the boy who is his Eliott, his Even, his David and Sander and Joana and Nico.

"I can't believe _you_ guys got to meet him first," Lucas says, "That you've been fucking _living_ with him for almost two months now."

Marti snorts. "You guys have all met him already, you hang out at our place so often. He's actually _friends_ with most of you."

"And besides," Nico says, "You met all of _us_ first. It's only fair that one of us gets to meet the new couple first."

"Fuck off," Lucas says, flipping his friend off, but Nico just smiles.

"You're just a sore loser."

Lucas's jaw drops but most of the room is bursting into agreement and laughter, leaving Lucas to look to his boyfriend for backup. Too bad that Eliott just leans in and kisses him on the forehead, eyes dancing. "You're _my_ sore loser," he says, voice half-teasing, half-fond, and Lucas melts under Eliott's rumble of a laugh, just as he always does, and leans in for a proper lip-to-lip kiss from his boyfriend.

(That doesn't stop Lucas from flipping off everyone in the room behind his back, though. Sore loser or not, they all deserve it, those traitors.)

-

Marti is the one who gets to witness the night that Lucas arrives home soaking wet, that same boy from the cafe behind him in similarly drenched clothing. The two boys are giggling quietly, exchanging kisses as they make their way down the hallway to Lucas’ room, and Marti has never seen Lucas so _happy_ before.

Marti’s not even sure that Lucas notices Marti, who’s curled up on the couch. Marti shouldn’t have even been here at this hour- he and Nico are usually with the squad in the common room on Wednesday nights- but he’d had a massive project due this week and so had been home studying. He’s pretty sure that Lucas didn’t think that he’d be home, when he brought his boy- his Nico- home.

And he doesn’t want to interrupt, anyway. He glances up at the clock and sure enough- 22:02, which could have put their first kiss at the lucky 21:21, just like Robbe and Sander and Isak and Even.

Marti can't help but smile. He remembers, better than anything, the sheer joy that Lucas must be experiencing right now, the first time kissing a boy, the exhilarating feeling of not just tapping. 

Maybe Lucas and his boy kissed in the rain. Maybe they found a swimming pool. Maybe they set off some sprinklers. Who knows? There are a million different possibilities and a million different universes and counterparts and Lucas and his boy could have just lived through any of them, here in Antwerp.

Whatever it was, Lucas just had his first kiss.

And if Lucas’ first kiss was just right now, then that means two things.

He’s probably coming out to his guru this week. Which is most likely Marti or Nico, scary as that may seem.

And at the end of the week-

Oh _fuck_. Oh no. If Lucas’ first kiss with that boy was tonight, then next week is probably-

If the timelines hold, if things stay the same- and in every case, even in David and Matteo’s, where there wasn’t an ex-girlfriend to go back to, there were hearts broken by the end of the week- Lucas is going to get his heartbroken. He is going to see it shattered by the boy he offered his heart to, in the water, with a kiss. He is going to spend a week- or maybe more- convinced that he isn't good enough because of a text and (probably, though not definitely, because David didn't) a kiss with an ex-girlfriend.

When Nico gets home not but a half hour later, Marti has picked up his shit and taken it back to their room. Through the wall he can hear excited whispers and giggles, and he doesn’t know what the two boys are talking about, but he knows that they're having the best night of their lives so far.

“Marti?” Nico asks, pulling off some of his many layers and tossing them to the desk chair in their room, “You okay?”

Marti looks up at the man of his dreams, the love of his life, and he thinks about all the good moments. He thinks about Bracciano, about the pool, about their first move in together, about the EP Nico wrote for him, about years and years of love and minutes piled upon minutes.

But the moment stuck in his head right now is seeing Nico kiss Maddalena at that party. He _knows_ why Nico did it- and he hasn’t blamed him for anything but being afraid since he figured out the reason why.

And Marti, in this moment, isn’t just thinking about Lucas’ heart breaking by the end of the week. He’s also thinking about that boy- Lucas’ Nico- and how his heart will have broken by the end of the week, whether because of a comment that Lucas made or because of something about his past he’s trying to hide, like David or Sander. 

And he hates- he fucking _hates_ \- that those two boys will have to go through it. Because even though the ending is perfect- Marti fucking loves the ending- the middle hurt so much.

"Lucas came home dripping wet," Marti says quietly, unsure of what emotions are showing in his voice, "With the boy from lunch," and Nico's expression flips through several emotions before eventually settling on joy as he plops down on the bed next to Marti. 

"That boy- whatever his name is- he's just met the love of his life," Nico says, looking at Marti with the most fond look in his eyes, and for a moment Marti forgets all of that heartbreak because how could he focus on anything painful when he has Nico here, in their bed, curled up next to him, looking at Marti like _that_ , utter adoration in his eyes?

Marti leans in to give Nico a tender kiss, and Nico's hand goes to Marti's waist and Marti's hand goes to Nico's curls and he forgets entirely, for the rest of the night, anything save Nico in his arms, Nico's mouth on his, Nico's happiness and love mirroring his own.

(When the morning comes- when Friday or Saturday or whenever hell week begins comes- Marti can handle that then. But for now, there is this, there is Nico, and that's all Marti wants to focus on.)

**Soundtrack/Events**

**Lucas trying to make out with a girl at a university party:** _Think of England_ by Bear's Den

 **Constant yearning for what the Evaks have:** _Falling Short_ by Låpsley

 **First Hang Out** : _Salvador Dali_ by Royal & the Serpent

 **First Hang Out (Song Michaël introduces to Lucas):** _Your Song_ by Elton John

 **Call Your Girlfriend (Lucas is kissing a random girl at the party):** _My Type_ by Saint Motel

 **Almost Kiss:** _Venus_ by Sleeping At Last

 **Running Away from Party/Michaël's girlfriend:** _Bad Decisions_ by Bastille

 **First Kiss:** _Slip Away_ by Perfume Genius

 **Cuddle Scene:** _Venus_ by Sleeping At Last


	2. 3.05-3.07

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahead of time, let me apologize for the lack of more Kes. I really wish I was writing this story in Amsterdam so we could have more of him, but it just doesn't work very well for Antwerp with the gang already in place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, just a note. This particular installment in this series is some of the craziest shit ever to try to figure out, from planning the timeline for Lucas VDH to remembering the previous canon timelines of all six other Evak couples to figuring out what I'd written for the post-canon timelines of each of the Evaks- while also trying to differentiate each person's POV who is narrating and making clear which Lucas is in the scene. It's been kind of exhausting, especially over top of my school work and work schedule outside of writing, plus writing my own novel, as well as trying (and failing) to keep up with all of the current seasons (I've already dropped the ball with the new season of Spain) and so I hope this is any good and that it makes sense and that you all like it.
> 
> Also, this will go up to the first clip of 3.08, but since I didn't put the rest of the episode in here (Kes meeting Michaël, the rest of the squad meeting Michaël, the hotel scene- or, well, its equivalent in this 'verse, no spoilers), I'm only labelling the chapter up to 3.07.
> 
> Also, it's not important to this particular chapter, but the whole squad in Antwerp refers to themselves as the 6/6 squad, named after their groupchat. In a line in a fic that probably never get posted, it's explained that "The groupchat is labeled SIX DUMBASSES AND SIX BADASSES, but it’s a running debate as to which six are which, with the answers not always hewed along the lines of the Robbes and the Sanders, the artists and their lovers, but rather sometimes along far stupider lines. Sometimes it’s Nico, David, and Joana on one side, with their partners, because they all go to the same school, with everyone else on the other side, and sometimes it’s Marti, Isak, and Cris ganging up with their partners while the other six on the other. Sometimes Sander, Matteo, Cris, Even, Isak, and Marti, the non-brunettes, all decide to claim a side, placing everyone else on the other. It really just depends on the day, and no one really remembers how it all started." Not really relevant, but I always find it funny, so there you go.
> 
> Also also- in certain scenes where both Lucas Lallemant and Lucas VDH are in the same scene, Lucas L is referred to as just "Lucas" while Lucas VDH is referred to as "Lucas VDH." I hope that's not too confusing to you guys.

_She is coming, my life, my fate_

_The red rose cries 'she is near, she is near'_

_And the white rose weeps 'she is late'_

_The larkspur listens 'I hear, I hear'_

_And the lily whispers 'I wait'_

**_-Alfred, Lord Tennyson_ **

When Friday comes and passes without incident, they all think- stupidly- that maybe this is the timeline where there are no hell weeks. Maybe this is the timeline where everything goes right from the beginning, without anything ruining the perfect bubble that Lucas and his boy have built for themselves.

(After all, David and Matteo had more than two hell weeks. Sander and Robbe only had the one. It's possible for Lucas and his boy to have none at all, right? It's possibly to have a love story without any tragedy at all, right?)

-

They're fools, and they really should have known better, but can you really blame them for hoping for a happy ending? Six of them have spent the past years being a group of people who hope against hope, who want to believe in the best despite living through the worst. They are six people who were told the worst about the person they fell in love with and still decided to keep going, to believe in happy endings even when they were told not to. 

And the other six people- well, right now, they're working on a film together. A film about love and swimming pools and connected minds around the world, girls and boys in Peru and America and Poland and Japan and Egypt and Nigeria, all falling in love despite mental illness and secrets and homophobia. Eliott on storyboard, Even directing, Nico on composing a score, Joana on special effects and editing, David on costumes and props (as well as assistant directing, of course), Sander on casting and scenery building, all creating a film based on _their_ love stories- with a sci-fi twist, of course.

Does it make sense that, immersed in love stories, real and fictional, that have ended happily, that they'd be able to convince themselves that the one that was being lived out in front of them wouldn't have to have tragedy as well?

-

They don’t even know Lucas’ boy's name when the first hell week hits. They don't know if Lucas' boy has an ex-girlfriend he went back to, don't know what their movie or book or tv show is, don't know anything save for the fact that when Lucas comes home that Saturday, he’s crying.

And Nico know, Marti knows, David and Matteo know (because they were hanging out tonight), that no matter what the timeline means, Lucas deserves to have someone who holds him. Even if they can't explain anything, can't give him hints, Lucas doesn't deserve to be alone on one of the worst nights of his life.

So they don’t press- instead, Matteo just peels himself away from David and opens up his arms and Lucas takes one look at him before curling up on the sofa and letting Matteo hold him.

There are no words that need to be spoken. Matteo and Marti look at each other over Lucas' head, years-old memories of heartbreak passing between them, while Nico and David purse their lips and remember being the one to inflict that kind of heartbreak, the one who was so deep in their own head and their own past that they couldn't see any way forward that would lead to a happy ending with the boy they loved.

Lucas falls asleep, his head on Matteo's chest, and the four of them look at each other, years of pain and love beneath their chests, and they know that everything will end up okay but they can't help, in this moment, feel the deepest of empathy with this boy curled in on himself, trying to keep the world from hurting him.

-

“Marti, Nico,” Lucas says the next day, voice uncertain, “Do you mind if my friend Kes visits and stays here? He’ll sleep in my bed, of course, won't take up any space-"

“Of course not,” Marti says, thinking about how much Gio helped Marti out back all those years ago, remembering how much he needed his best friend- and how much he needed to come out, to get all the pressure off of his chest. “This is your home. Of course your friend can stay. You can even give him the sofa, if you want.

Lucas flashes Marti a tired smile. "Thanks," he says, stirring his coffee, and Marti's chest aches for the way that Lucas' shoulders slump, the way his spine curves over with exhaustion, the red in his eyes from tears that he didn't let the rest of them see.

"No problem," Nico says, entering the room. He doesn't kiss Marti hello, and Marti understands- right now the wound of whatever Lucas' boy did is raw for Lucas, and Nico doesn't want to rub his and Marti's relationship into Lucas' face. "This is your home, just like Marti says. Long as you clean up, are a nice person, and put up with our obnoxious friends, then you're free to do what you want."

They finally get the first smile off of Lucas that day when Lucas says: "Your friends aren't _that_ obnoxious. A few of them are a bit pretentious, maybe, but not obnoxious."

Marti grins, knowing exactly which of their counterparts Lucas is referring to. "You're right about that." Behind Lucas' head Nico sticks out his tongue at Marti, and Marti just smiles innocently back.

-

By the end of the first day that Kes visits, Cris can already see the weight lifted off of Lucas’ shoulders. By the end of the second, Lucas is sitting the three of them down for lunch, for a "study session," but all three of them have come out to their boy squads (or, in Cri's case, her girl squad). They know that they come out to their Amira, their Jonas, their Gio, and then they go to their squad.

So it's no surprise when, half an hour in, Lucas leans back in his chair. “You know that guy that returned that textbook to me, a few weeks ago?” he asks, uncharacteristically nervous and shy, and Isak looks like he’s having a seizure he’s nodding so hard. Cris isn’t much better- she’s grinning like a lunatic, she’s pretty sure. Marti’s the only one of them that’s keeping his cool, just watching and waiting for Lucas to speak his part.

“Well, his name’s Michaël. And we kinda-"

(All at once, through all three minds, in three native languages, a memory stuttered across the years: _Tuvimos una cosa. Vi hadde en ting. Abbiamo avuto una cosa._ )

"-We kinda had a thing.”

“A thing?” Isak asks, parroting his friends from years ago, and Lucas nods.

“It’s over now,” he says, an air of melancholy in his voice, and Cris’ smile dims in sympathy even as she thinks _no it’s not, it never will be, he’s the love of your life and once you’re both honest with each other, it’ll be the two of you, forever there for each other._ “He went back to his ex-girlfriend.”

“Sorry about that,” Marti says, and empathy in his voice is clear and solid, taking Cris back years and years to Viri and Eva and Amira and Nora, all giving their condolences on the turbulence of her and Joana's relationship.

"Hey," Isak says, "I'm sure things will work out in the end." And that's not too much of a hint- she can remember Amira saying the same to her.

When Marti and Cris nod in agreement, Lucas smiles at them all. "Thanks," he says, and Cris shrugs.

"No problema," she says, then gestures to their textbooks, open and barely used on the table in front of them. "Now, do you _actually_ want to study, or do you want to go get drunk and forget about that guy for awhile?"

Lucas hesitates for only a moment before closing his textbook, dropping it into his bag, and pulling out his phone. "Mind if I invite Kes?" he asks, referring to the best friend who'd decided to spend a couple of hours with Joana and her counterparts while they'd decided to work on the film.

Isa grins. "The more the merrier," he says in English as if quoting some movie.

Lucas' face lights up as he types out a quick text. "Awesome."

-

Matteo and Lucas have ended up at Nico and Marti’s apartment Friday night.

It was an accidental thing. Marti, Cris, Isak, and Lucas were studying there, with Robbe joining them for help on his exams for his final year, and Lucas VDH had decided to study with them as well, thus meaning that his friend Kes got dragged along as well.

And, well, Matteo had wanted to try out a new recipe, and with all of David and his counterparts out working on their giant film project together, it only made sense to experiment on the study group.

Lucas- the French one, the first one, he guesses- leans against Nico and Marti's kitchen counter, watching the biotech students studying together while Matteo stands by the stove next to him, cooking as Lucas VDH tells them all about his Eliott: Michaël Claes, from Antwerp, who broke his heart by kissing his ex. A familiar story that has not yet reached its happy ending.

"And, uh- he's been sending me notes."

" _Notes_?" Lucas asks, a knowing smirk on his lips, and Lucas VDH nods. 

"He's a writer," Lucas VDH says, "Kinda like all of your artist boyfriends and girlfriend." ( _More than you know, kid,_ Lucas thinks, and he has the feeling that everyone else is, too.) "He wrote me a poem the morning after we first kissed. And he's been showing me movies and stuff based around his favorite books. His favorite movie is _Dead Poets Society_ and he loves all kinds of poets. We talked about his favorite, Emily Dickinson, for hours-"

"It seems like you two might have had a bit more than just a 'thing,'" Cris says, and Lucas knows that she's thinking about Joana, about happy endings and the rocky path they all had to take to get there, about the utter certainty and love she'd had for Joana from the moment they'd first hung out together- the same intensity of love that they'd all had for their Eliotts, along the way.

Lucas VDH nods, his expression flickering. "I thought so, too. At least until he kissed his ex and everything. But then he started sending me these notes- his own poems, ones that _he_ wrote and not Dickinson, like his first couple after we kissed, and now I don't know what to think."

"Well, you've got set down the line," Isak says, and Lucas thinks that he's taking a bit too much glee from this, getting to play his Yann.

"Yeah," Kes agrees, just like Arthur and Yann once did. "He's gotta decide. You or the girlfriend."

"He can't keep stringing you along," Lucas agrees, knowing, just as well as the rest of them, that there's no way that Michaël will choose anything but coming to Lucas VDH's side.

"So what do you think I should do?" Lucas VDH asks, all wide, earnest eyes.

"Text him," Kes says, "Tell him to pick you or the girlfriend."

Lucas VDH swallows and types out a response, the Dutch words not needed to be seen by four boys who can remember that text, sent in their own languages, or by Cris and Robbe, who have heard that particular part of the story plenty of times themselves. Kes, though, leans in a little, watching as his best friend sends the fateful words.

"Alright," Lucas VDH says, taking a deep breath before clicking one last time and looking up at all of them. "I sent it. What next?"

"You wait for a response," Kes says, and Lucas VDH's gaze drops down to his phone as it vibrates, not 30 seconds after he sent the first text. They all hold their breath despite knowing what it will say, while Kes once again leans in a little to see.

"He says that he wants to talk," Lucas VDH says, looking up at them. "And asked me if I was available." He looks up at them all, eyes wide and uncertain but an excitement caught in them that Lucas remembers all too well. He remembers the feeling, caught up in his chest, as he and le Gang had been standing in front of the mural, the three boys all giving Lucas different suggestions about what to say to Eliott, how to interact with him, more intent on keeping Lucas' heart safe than he himself was. "What do I say?"

"You've got to be cool about this," Kes says, "Don't be too excited. Just send back: 'Chilling at home with my friends.' Nothing more than that."

Lucas VDH dutifully types it out, and, unlike the rest of them, doesn't hesitate in sending it. No double checking for emojis, no nothing- instead, Lucas shows off the Dutch words that make the lack of uncertainty clear.

"There you go," Kes says, grinning proudly at his best friend, who smiles right back at him but whose anxious fingers tapping at the tabletop betray his anxiety as he waits for Michaël to respond.

"Was it this hard to get your significant others?" Lucas VDH asks, turning to them all with a tight smile that clearly spells out how much he's trying (and failing) to ignore his phone, trying to ignore it until Michaël responds- which, as long as Michaël is operating on the same time table as Joana, David, Eliott, or Even (hopefully, for Lucas VDH's sake, not the same time table as Nico, whose Bracciano drive has been praised by them all plenty of times over the years, but would probably be rather taxing on Lucas VDH's sanity).

Lucas can see the near priceless expressions on his counterparts' faces around him- Isak looks like he's swallowing his own tongue, Cris has a _you have no idea_ look on her face, Marti's looking at Lucas VDH with a shit-eating grin on his face, Matteo's rolling his eyes at his boiling pasta, and Robbe is hiding a small, knowing smile behind his textbook.

"It was an adventure, let's say," Lucas says to his Dutch counterpart. "For all of us. We had our fair share of horror stories, bad parties, and exes to deal with." He doesn't mention mental illness or hidden secrets or bad comments from any of them, because he doesn't want to give spoilers and potential ruiners- especially when they don't know what Michaël is hiding yet- instead ending his sentence where it is.

Lucas VDH's fingers keep tapping their soft beat. "I hope things aren't that complicated for Michaël and I."

 _I hope they aren't, either_ , Lucas thinks, hoping that Lucas VDH's hell weeks will end sooner, like Robbe and Sander's did, rather than later, like most of the rest of them. 

(Then again, it took homelessness to have Robbe and Sander's hell weeks end sooner. Lucas isn't sure he'd want to wish that on anyone.)

"I'm sure they won't be," Robbe says, and Kes raises an eyebrow at the certainty that this seventeen-year-old has, but none of the rest of them blink at Robbe's youth- and they never really have, to be honest. From the moment they realized that Robbe and Sander were their counterparts, they've all understood Robbe's maturity level to be rather high, probably even higher than Lucas or any of his counterparts' at that age.

The phone rings, Michaël's name buzzing across the screen, just as the door buzzes and in this moment, none of them can hold it anymore. Not Lucas, not Isak, not Cris, not even Marti or Matteo, usually the most patient, the last to leave. They all jump up from their seats or from the counter, a buzz to the air around them.

 _Finally_ , their very veins seem to be singing. _Finally, Michaël is here._

"Well, we'll be going," Marti says, grabbing for his jacket, and Lucas VDH's eyes go wide.

"What?"

"Your boy's at the door, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but-"

"You've got the apartment for the night," Marti says, "The rest of us will clear out and give you all the time you need with Michaël. I'll even text Nico so you don't have to worry about us old folk interrupting your time with him."

“Kes, you want to come hang out with us?" Lucas suggests, and Kes gives his best friend a wink.

"Of course. Have fun, Luc!"

Lucas VDH's eyes are still wide, but instead of panic shining through it's a sense of excitement and anticipation- one that Lucas can remember all too well. He straightens his shirt and starts adjusting his hair as they all pour out the back door, grabbing shoes and jackets along the way.

"Make sure to turn the oven off!" Matteo shouts as the door closes, leading to a few giggles from the rest of them.

(Four of them remember that excitement all too well, that straightening of the hair and adjusting of the clothes and touching up of the face. Matteo remembers the sheer relief that he'd felt when David showed up. And Robbe, well- his reunion was his final one, but that didn't stop that relief, either. Whatever Lucas VDH is feeling, though, the six of them couldn't be happier for him finally getting to reunite Michaël for at least one night before everything goes to shit again.)

“Oh my fucking god,” Robbe nearly squeals once they’re all out the door, bundled up in their nearing-winter jackets- save Isak, who is managing to wear nothing but a windbreaker all the way into December, as always. “Are they-?”

Matteo nods, face lighting up with the kind of sheer happiness that almost only can be caused by David. “Lucas is reuniting with...Michaël, you three said it was?”

Marti nods, and Cris says: “Either they’re going to talk, or, well…”

"Bang?" Kes says simply, and they all look at him, this guy who knows nothing about parallels or counterparts or hell weeks or reunions. "Hey, I'm happy for my best friend for finally getting some."

Isak holds up a high-five that Kes willingly returns.

-

Marti and Nico enter the apartment late that night, shushing each other. Kes had gone home with Isak and Even, just for the night, promising to show back up at Nico and Marti's the next afternoon to get his stuff and talk to Lucas.

(Earlier, when Kes had gone to the restroom at the bar, Marti had turned to the rest of his counterparts. “We can’t let _all_ of you come back to the apartment tonight,” Marti had said, composed as always, “We can’t frighten either kid.”

“C’mon, Marti-” Lucas had started to beg, and Marti had raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t you remember how uncertain we all were, back then? Shattering that- that could do some shit and throw everything up in the air."

"Fair enough," Lucas had grumbled, but had gone along with Marti's rules.)

When they pass through the front hallway, it's easy to see the evidence of Michaël- there's a jacket hastily thrown over the rack, shoes toed off by the door.

"It's like Bracciano all over again," Nico whispers against Marti's lips, eyes bright with nostalgia of their first time together, after an agonizing day of driving for Nico and a painful day of waiting for Marti.

"That it is," Marti says quietly, trying to layer kisses onto Nico's face without making too much noise as they make their way to their room, hands on each other, full of anticipation and excitement for Michaël and Lucas, who have evidently made their way into Lucas' room.

-

Nico wakes up the next morning and enters the kitchen, eyes half-lidded with sleep and looking for a cup of coffee, to find a dark-skinned, bespectacled guy in a strange combination of a button-down and sweatpants standing at the stove, making a pan of eggs that smells absolutely _mouthwatering_ \- nothing like the pasta he once tried to serve Marti, back when they’d first hung out. It smells more like something Even, Lucas, or Matteo would make, something that would have everyone diving in for seconds.

“Sorry,” the boy says, giving Nico an apologetic smile below his glasses. He has a smile that instantly puts Nico at ease, something that Nico knows he’d find on the lips of Even and Joana and David and Sander and Eliott. “I just wanted to make something for Lucas when he wakes up.”

This- this must be Lucas’ Michaël. This is Nico’s counterpart, a somehow second one living in Belgium, the man of Lucas’ dreams, the man who looks at Lucas like he’s hung the sun (the very same sun that Michaël is a reflection of).

“Don’t let me stop you,” Nico says, beaming right back at the boy. “I just wanted to grab some coffee.” He offers out a hand, more awake than he thinks he’s ever been without his coffee. “Niccolo Fares, but everyone just calls me Nico.”

The boy’s eyes light up as he sticks out the hand that isn’t holding the spatula for the eggs. “You must be one of Lucas’ flatmates. I’m Michaël Claes.” They shake hands before Nico drops it in favor of actually starting the pot of coffee. “I’m guessing you’re not from around Antwerp, mijnheer, going by your accent and your name?”

Nico shakes his head. “I’m from Rome. So’s my boyfriend.”

Michaël’s eyes go a little wide at Nico’s ease with such a title, and Nico just lets his smile expand a little bit further as he lifts himself onto the counter, sitting down as he waits for Marti to come out of the room- it usually takes him only five to ten minutes to follow Nico out for a pot of coffee, usually appearing within the minute that the smell of boiling coffee filters into their bedroom. “Nice to meet you,” Michaël picks to say as Marti finally shows up, turning around the corner in an old t-shirt (that used to be Nico’s, years ago, and thus is just a little snug on Marti), hoodie, and sweatpants.

It takes Marti only a second for his eyes to sweep over their kitchen and for a smile to stretch over his features. “You must be Lucas’ boy, then,” he says, a little more blunt that Nico was, and Michaël smiles, so soft and fond, and Nico remembers how gone he was on Marti by the time Bracciano happened.

“I hope I am,” Michaël says, and for a moment Nico’s heart aches with the recognition of that insecurity, of that uncertainty, of that cloying fear (of that resigned knowledge) that Marti would still reject him, that their time together was limited. He comforts himself with the knowledge that soon- within just a couple of weeks- that insecurity will be soothed away, that uncertainty will be replaced by the first concrete confirmation of love and faith that Michaël has had in his life.

“Well, I’m Marti,” Marti says to Michaël even as he leans over to give Nico a quick peck on the cheek. “Martino Rametta, if you need my full Catholic name, but friends use the first suggestion.”

“Nice to meet you, Marti,” Michaël says, and Nico wonders if he was ever this polite. Are any of Marti’s and Nico’s counterparts that polite, anyway? Maybe David or Robbe, but any of the rest? Probably not.

“Same here,” Marti says, exchanging a fond glance with Nico.

“Mind if I put on some music?” Nico asks, a twinkle in his eye as he looks at Marti, who just mouths _you bastardo_.

 _You love me_ , Nico mouths back with a smirk that mirrors his boyfriend at his most devious, then looks back to Michaël.

“No problem here,” Michaël says, still so polite, and Nico slides off of the counter and heads over to their radio in the corner of the counter by the fridge to turn on Even and Nico’s newest favorite music- that of that One Direction, that British boy band that split up years ago but that still manages to entertain them all.

To his utter and lasting delight, Michaël starts humming along, just as Nico and Marti did with _Buon Viaggio_ back in Bracciano, just as Even and Isak did with Gabrielle in Oslo. He even starts dancing a little, hips swaying a bit from side to side as he steps around the kitchen, cooking the eggs, leaving Nico to return to Marti, giving him a morning kiss.

"We're great gurus," he murmurs into Marti's ear before leaning back to receive the full force of Marti's fond eye roll.

Then there's a small ruckus in the hallway and then Lucas enters the kitchen, eyes wide, and Nico _sees_ the moment that Lucas spots Michaël and he relaxes, shoulders slumping back and smile going wide. “Michaël,” he says, voice like a prayer, like a sigh of relief. Then he steps forward and, without missing a beat, _Lucas_ is the one to step forward and pull Michaël into a kiss, placing a gentle hand on the side of Michaël’s face and pulling him in.

(Alright, then, _that's_ a new one. Nico can't imagine any other version of Marti being the one to take the initiative, not at that point in their relationship.)

"Good morning, schat," Michaël says, smile soft and fond, and Nico recognizes Matteo's favorite term of endearment for David, but in Dutch rather than Italian. "I made you eggs."

Nico makes the executive decision to grab Marti's hand and sneak their way out, leaving Michaël and Lucas to their eggs and their music. "Have a good morning, you two!" Nico tosses over his shoulder as he and Marti head back to their room, leaving Lucas and his now-boyfriend to whatever moments they might be getting up to.

As Nico and Marti head down the hallway, Nico can hear Michaël singing along to the song on the radio- "No Control," he thinks- and he can hear Lucas laughing along, and he can't help but smile and kiss Marti himself, in their hallway, as they did years and years ago on a chilly winter night in Bracciano.

Soundtrack

**Sees Michael kissing girlfriend:** _Lies_ by The Black Keys

 **Afterwards/head home:** _when the party's over_ by billie eilish

 **Encounter with Michael in week in between:** _How Do You Sleep_ by Sam Smith

 **Coming out to Kes:** _Brother_ by needtobreathe (ft. Gavin DeGraw)

 **Coming out to the squad:** _Somebody Else_ by Walking On Cars

 **Reunion (3x07):** _Recuerda_ by Penny and Sparrow

 **Kitchen Scene:** _No Control_ by One Direction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so we've learned a bit more about Michaël. He's a poet, a creative writing nerd, loves Dead Poet's Society, likes sending old poetry to Lucas (especially of the queer Dickinson sort), and may or may not have serenaded Lucas with One Direction this morning and with "Your Song" the first time they hung out together (it's up to you guys on that last one). Michaël's a bit hard to read for the 6/6 squad in general, but I hope that from the small glimpses you've gotten he's a bit more introverted, like David in Season 3 of Druck, with a little less mystery and abandoned buildings and a lot more of a clear and utter DORK from the start- and, in turn, Lucas VDH is a bit more a charmer than most of his other counterparts are, a bit more willing to take leaps and be the confident one (though just wait for the hotel scene to knock him back a bit!).
> 
> Hey, if you guys liked this chapter, please leave a comment! They mean a lot to me as a writer and often give me the motivation and inspiration to go on. And, to be completely honest, I just kinda crave validation. Like, a lot. And it's always a nice boost of serotonin each time I see a comment show up in my inbox. 
> 
> So I hope you've been enjoying, and that this made sense, and that you guys will continue reading for the final part!


	3. 3.08

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a bit of a weirdly short one, but this final chapter was getting a bit long and I also felt like the second half had a bit of a different vibe than the first half, so the rest of Episode 9/the OHN scene/episode 10 is going to be its own episode, alright? Cool.
> 
> Also, my decision to not use any songs in this story that any of the remakes did in their Evak seasons is so hard when so much of my recent playlists are from said soundtracks.

Kes shows up that afternoon to find Lucas and Michaël on the couch, Michaël's arm around Lucas' shoulders as they curl up on the couch together to watch Dead Poet's Society- apparently Michaël's favorite movie. Nico and Marti are sitting in the kitchen, Marti studying as Nico works on mixing the sound for the group's film, headphones on, but the moment the door opens Nico slides the headphones off.

"So," Kes says, gaze sweeping over the couple on the couch, a smile on his lips, "This is the boyfriend?"

Michaël and Lucas exchange a glance and a small smile. "Yeah," Lucas says, "This is my boyfriend, Michaël. He's a lit student."

"Awesome," Kes says, plopping down in the armchair. "Nice to meet you. I'm Lucas' best friend."

"Nice to meet you," Michaël says, all polite smiles and handshakes, and Kes grins at him.

"You seem like a decent guy," Kes says, "But if you break Luc's heart-"

"Hey!" Lucas starts to protest, but Michaël is already nodding in agreement.

"I won't," he says, looking at Lucas with an expression that is heavy with feeling- some might say too heavy for this early in a relationship, but Nico remembers Bracciano, when he and Marti had left the room and met the boys for Nico's first time. He remembers just how love he'd been back then, even if he'd had Maddalena and his parents making him doubt the emotions in his own head.

When you have a Marti looking at you like Lucas is looking at Michaël, with nothing but fondness and faith in his eyes, it's hard not to fall in love. It's hard not to try to hold onto that feeling and chase it wherever it takes you.

Nico looks across the kitchen table towards his own boyfriend, Marti's gaze focused on the textbook in front of him, and Nico can't help but reach forward and entwine his fingers with Marti's, one hand over the other's. Marti looks up and smiles at Nico, all warmth and years of love and fondness, and it's as intimate as Eliott and Lucas making out in front of the group in the common room.

Nico can't wait for the day that Michaël and Lucas have that same certainty and ease that the rest of them already have.

-

Michaël gets to meet others beyond just Nico, Marti, and Kes a few days later, after Kes has gone home. Cris and Joana are over at Nico and Marti's, Nico and Joana hashing out the logistics of the sound design/sound effects for the film that both them and their counterparts have been working on, when Michaël stops by to grab pizza with Lucas.

"You two _do_ know that you don't have to go out for pizza, right?" Joana says with a small snort after Lucas introduces Michaël to the two women. "Matteo's cooking tonight."

"Matteo?" Michaël mouths to Lucas, raising an eyebrow, and Lucas nods.

"One of their friends," he says with a small, fond smile.

"He's going to cooking school, currently," Cris explains, "And we're his guinea pigs for his culinary experiments."

"But we all know he can make a mean pizza," Nico says, "He's half-Italian."

"And half-German," Cris points out, bringing back an old running joke.

"The Italian half is the one that matters when it comes to cooking pizza," Nico argues.

"Cooking _anything_ , really," Marti agrees, sliding his boyfriend a fond look.

"Let's see him make a paella and then we'll talk," Cris says with a snort.

-

Hanging out with Michaël and Lucas is fun, honestly. Michaël easily wins most of the word-based word games they play, and him and Lucas are an almost shockingly good team at charades, even against teams that have known each other for years already.

All in all, anyone would be able to make the assumption that the two boys are past the rough spot in their relationship. That from now on, everything will be easy and things will go well for the new couple, who are clearly already head over heels for each other.

But then the night ends and Lucas and Michaël part and the six of them- David, Matteo, Cris, Joana, Marti, and Nico- they all know how this story ends, but they can't help but worry about the meantime. They can't help but worry about what will happen either this weekend or next, can't help but worry about the revelation that will come.

(None of them can delude themselves this time. Michaël and Lucas had the first reunion- it's very unlikely that there won't be a second. They have yet to see a partnership where the first reunion happens without a secret reveal that didn't need a second reunion. Sander's secret- his homelessness- came out in the days after he kissed Britt, without the need for a reunion in between.)

What is Michaël hiding? What is the secret that drove him away from Lucas and back to kissing his ex? What makes him doubt the fact that Lucas could ever do anything but love him forever?

None of them can be sure. There are guesses, yes, discussed in the common room on nights when Lucas is out with Michaël, discussed in each couple's bedroom at night when they're alone, but no one can be sure. Will Michaël be like Joana and Nico, the world warping around his brain? Will he be like Eliott and Even, unable to do anything but ride out the most extreme highs and lows? Will he be like Sander, hiding a lack of a home and the scars of a horrible childhood? Will he be like David, trapped in a body that he can't feel comfortable in?

They don't know. They can't know, really. All they can do is wait for the night to come and the secret to be revealed.

-

Then Friday night hits, and Lucas goes on a date with Michaël, the largest of smiles on his lips, and Nico and Marti find themselves sitting in their living room, waiting with bated breath for everything to break.

-

Lucas returns at one in the morning, and he isn't sobbing. He isn't crying. When he enters the living room after toeing his shoes off at the door, he's quiet, his expression shattered and his face turned in on itself in disappointment- likely at himself.

"Lucas," Marti says, carding his fingers through Nico's hair. Nico laid his head in Marti's lap awhile ago, as his brain hasn't been feeling very well, and Marti had been more than content to just sit there on the couch, the radio playing quietly in the corner of the living room, spending time with his boyfriend. "What happened? I thought you were going to be out with Michaël all night."

Lucas sits down in the armchair by Marti's end of the couch. "It went well for most of the night. We went out to a restaurant that Michaël loved- it served Ethiopian food, like his Mom does back home in Brussels, and he wanted to introduce me to that all. Then we went to a hotel and just _talked_ and hung out for awhile and it was _beautiful_ , you know?"

And the thing is, Marti _does_ know. He remembers Milan as clear as he does yesterday, remembers the utter excitement and happiness he felt in those hours before everything went wrong. He remembers having his first time that night, remembers the hotel room and the conversation before everything went to hell and Marti was left alone on a sidewalk, afraid for Nico and completely in the dark about whatever was happening.

Marti looks down and he can see that Nico's eyes are closed, his expression guarded, as if he's also bracing himself for the impact, for the moment that Lucas reveals what ruined the evening. Marti wants to hug Nico, to remind him that Marti doesn't blame him for what happened that night, hasn't blamed him for it since that night itself, but he can't, instead listening to Lucas, who's stuck in that same night of worry and fear and uncertainty.

"And we, uh, we went to, you know, have sex, and right before we got naked, well, Michaël said- he said he's asexual.”

Marti blinks. That’s not- that’s not what he was expecting, at all. He was expecting something like bipolar, or borderline, or even PTSD. Something world-warping and hard to wrap your head around, something that clashed with a lack of understanding of mental illness and something that could easily be used to dismiss the other person's love for you.

Then again, David’s secret was his transition. So why couldn’t some other Nico’s secret have been something related to their sexuality? It would make sense, he thinks, why this could be Michaël’s secret.

(And wait a moment- is this _actually_ a universe in which the “we went too fast” text literally means just that? That Michaël actually got scared of going too fast, too far, not of a Marti’s past hang ups with mental illness?)

Lucas continues, though, explaining. “And I didn’t reply quickly, because I was trying to process, and he- his face it just _broke_ , and then he ran, and I ran after him but he was _gone_ , and then, well-” Lucas swallows, looks down at his hands, and he’s not an insecure guy. Not really. He might be the best at maintaining eye contact out of any of Marti’s counterparts, the most openly and outwardly confident, even when being confronted. Marti’s heart aches for this poor boy, who fell in love with a boy who Marti _knows_ loves him back, but that he, in the heat of the moment, didn't handle right.

(When it comes to Milan, to a hotel in Oslo or a boat in France or a coming out in Berlin or so many other places, no Marti or Nico ever handles things quite right. There is too much unsaid, too many secrets untold, too little knowledge to work off of and too many variables going astray.) 

"And, and- I Googled it, once I took the moment to breathe, and asked someone, and it means that he doesn't want to have sex with me. That the idea of going any further than the waist makes him nauseous. That _I_ make him nauseous.”

Wait a fucking moment. Up until that last bit, that had fit what Cris and Even and Lucas, their resident Pride enthusiasts, had told them all about asexuality.

“ _You_ make him nauseous? Like, specifically?”

Lucas nods, still not looking at Marti. “That’s what she said.”

Oh. _Her_.

(Of fucking course.)

Marti hums. "Who told you that?"

Lucas winces and looks down at his hands. "His ex girlfriend, Simone." Then he looks up at Marti. "She's in med school, you know? And she knows a lot about him, more than me-"

“That’s a bit stupid,” Nico mutters from his spot with his head in Marti’s lap, and Marti and Lucas both glance down at him, Lucas a bit shocked, Marti with a fond smile on his face. "She's his ex and you're the guy he fell in love with. Of course she said some shit like that."

Marti and Nico have talked, several times, about what Maddalena told Marti in Milan. (And about Maddalena's apology, too, down the line.) They've talked about the conversation in Dr. Spera's office, too.

Marti can remember being in the school psychologist's office, the Contrabbandieri on his side as Dr. Spera and them chipped away at his self-loathing and uncertainty.

He looks at Lucas, who’s looking thoughtful at Nico’s words. Marti's no Gio, he knows, not unconditionally loving, supportive, and calming. He's not an Elia, willing to listen and learn. He's not a Luca, saying the exact right thing at the right time, somehow wise.

He's just a Marti, just a Lucas, just a Cris or an Isak or a Robbe or a Matteo. He’s nothing more than a boy desperately in love and desperately alone despite having an army of friends surrounding him and a mother who really did (and does) love him.

“Lucas,” Marti says, feeling Nico’s hair under his fingers, speaking with the weight of the memory of that text that drove him from his father’s to the balcony, of the utter certainty he had felt the moment Nico had told him that _I’ve never felt this way about anyone else before_. “You should probably talk to Michaël himself, not his ex-girlfriend. Michaël is the only person who can tell you how _he_ feels about you, about how his asexuality presents itself.”

"He's probably not nauseated by you, Lucas," Nico says, voice soft. "And if he is, then it's not _you_ , specifically. It's sex in general. That's how most asexuality works, anyway. He still likes kissing you, and hanging out with you, and cuddling with you, right?"

Lucas nods, eyes wet at the edges with unshed tears, and Marti decides to give one last push.

"And from what you've told us-" Marti starts, careful to preface this like he _doesn't_ know how this story has already been told six times.

“-He loves you,” Nico finishes, voice quiet and tired but utterly self-assured. "He really loves you, Lucas. Believe me."

 _Believe him,_ Marti wants to shout from the rooftops, because Nico and Michaël are counterparts, are so similar in their utter devotion and love, just as all of their counterparts are.

Lucas looks between both of them, eyes wide and concerned, before glancing back to his phone. "Shit," he mutters. "I texted Michaël, told him to back off. I didn't want him forcing himself into something he didn't want." He looks back up at Nico and Marti, and this time Marti can actually see the tears gathering in Lucas' eyes. "I like him and I don't care that he doesn't want to have sex with me. I just- I just didn't want to make him uncomfortable. I thought that I- that I'd gone too far. That I was the problem."

"You're not the problem, Lucas," Marti says, the full force of his own journey fighting back internalized homophobia overlaying his words. "You could never be the problem."

"It's just that, you know- gay guys, they're forceful, right?" Lucas says, and Marti sucks in a harsh breath, remembering that self-hatred that came from a deep lack of understanding and the ideas that the culture around him had about gay guys- something he'd had to fight for months before finally admitting that there was nothing wrong with his sexuality. "They're- they're supposed to take what they want. Be forceful."

"Lucas," Nico says quietly, voice gently but with a certain fierce, protective undertone to it that make Marti want to kiss him. "Do you think that Marti's a predator? That your friend Ralph is?"

"No," Lucas instantly blurts, "Of course not-"

"What about Matteo? Isak? Robbe? Lucas? Are any of them predators?"

"No, they're not!" Lucas nearly shouts, eyes squeezing shut, then his voice quiets for a moment as he continues: "They're not. They're good guys. They would never force- they'd never-"

"Then why do you think that _you'd_ be the one to do that?" Marti asks, joining in on Nico's questions. "If no other gay guy you know would do that, then why would you?"

"It's just...Michaël, you know-"

"You didn't do anything that he didn't decide to put himself into," Nico says, "And you don't need to blame yourself for the bad decisions he might have made trying to work things out. And once you apologize for the less than ideal way you responded, he'll forgive you."

Marti notices the way that Nico's voice tapers off towards the end of his little monologue of reassurance, spelling out his exhaustion, and Marti takes over, looking to Lucas. "It's all going to be fine," he says, "As long as you remember not to blame yourself for what went wrong, and you give him a chance to explain _his_ side of the story."

"Alright," Lucas says, and he still seems a bit upset, but at least he seems a bit better adjusted than Marti was, that first day after Maddalena told him all of that shit about Nico. Lucas seems a little more reassured, and Marti can't help but let out a deep breath of relief.

They're in for the upswing soon, he's sure. They have to be. Soon enough Lucas and Michaël will talk, and work things out, and once they reunite again-

They'll never have to break apart again.

**Soundtrack**

**Scenes with the squad/Kes:** _Joy_ by Bastille

 **Kissing (Hotel Scene in most, but not here):** _Love Song_ by Lana Del Rey

 **Michaël running away:** _If I Don't Get On TV_ by Huxlee

 **Scene with Simone (Michael's ex):** _Dream_ by Imagine Dragons

 **Telling Marti and Nico abt Hotel Scene:** _Holocene_ by Bon Iver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys, I'm actually asexual, so a lot of the information that was in this chapter (at least the information NOT coming from Michaël's ex) is pretty accurate. Michaël loves Lucas, and didn't want to ruin the whole experience for him, and thus pushed himself a bit further than he was really comfortable with, but stopped before things went too far. Him not being interested in sex does not invalidate his romantic interest in Lucas or their relationship, nor does it put any of the blame on Lucas for going as far as they did, as the moment Michaël expressed his discomfort, Lucas instantly stopped. As for not understanding what was going on/freezing up, Lucas is just figuring out his sexuality now. He's not exactly hip on all of the meanings/understand exactly what all labels mean. Doesn't mean he doesn't want to learn, though- we've gotta give him the benefit of the doubt, after all.
> 
> And with that- I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! All of your comments on the last one were really nice and provided a lot of motivation and I'm so glad you all liked it so far. Hope this chapter was just as good as the last, and that you guys wouldn't mind leaving comments on this one as well if you liked it! Hope to see you again next week, when the final chapter should (fingers crossed) be uploaded.


	4. 3.09-3.10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here's the last chapter- and due to a few days in which my homework was a lot lower than usual, you get it half a week earlier- hope you guys enjoy it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, quick note from my notes before this chapter because I couldn't find a way to get into the actual story by I have a headcanon for my own characters so you get to enjoy it: 
> 
> Michaël kept mentioning having a deep and abiding hatred of the American show Riverdale throughout early conversations with Lucas, kind of like how other Evens complained about music or bad movies. Michaël blamed it on the bad writing up as worst thing in the world is bad writing to him, and it was mostly treated as a joke/running gag, but after the asexuality reveal, it took on a second layer as Riverdale actively erased asexual identity of one of the main characters it was adapting.

All of Joana and her counterparts work on the movie throughout the week, putting finishing touches on it, and it's on a dinner break from the editing process on Tuesday that one of them finally brings it up.

"You know," David says, voice hushed, "I remember that pain. That doubt that came from not being accepted immediately. The idea that Matteo- that my gender was something he wouldn't be able to get over."

Joana looks up at David, who probably had the closest secret to Michaël's asexuality that any of them might be able to understand. "I pushed Cris away because I thought I was toxic to her," she says as Nico, Eliott, Sander, and Even look up at them. "Not because I didn't think she'd understand, but because I thought that _I_ was the problem."

"Don't get me wrong," David says, "I thought I was the problem too. I thought that no one at my new school would ever get me. That no one would ever be able to fall in love with someone like me, _especially_ if they knew where I'd come from."

Sander sets down the sketches he'd been working on for the final scene of the movie, the only one left for them to actually film- the epilogue, the big party where all six of the main characters meet each other for the first time. It's the scene that's taking the most work to write and finish, as it's the scene that needs to be done _just right_. "We all left. Ran away in order to protect them from our shit. Because we thought that they wouldn't understand."

Eliott swallows. "I just want Michaël to have what we have," he says, looking over at the screens for the project, the ones that he storyboarded together, the shots in the pool and in the common room and in a library and under the starlit sky. "To know that he's loved by someone who will never leave him."

Even's voice is confident but somehow fragile when he says: "He'll get it, I know. Lucas will reach out and help Michaël understand that he doesn't have to run. That he will never be alone again."

"I just wish-" Joana starts, and then swallows. "I just wish that I could somehow reach out and give Michaël a hug before Lucas finally reaches out."

"I know," Nico says, looking around at all of them before his gaze eventually falls to the keyring hanging from the lanyard around his neck, the lanyard with the giraffe keychain on the end- a keychain Marti gave him years ago, when they'd first moved to Antwerp together, starting a life together in a completely new country. "I want to, too. But for now- we just have to trust Lucas."

There are six stories intertwining here, six memories sitting heavy between them all. Tears running down the face of a teen curled into himself under a bridge in Paris, heart broken by the boy who once mended it. A boy in Oslo, a million layers wrapped around himself, one step away from the second worst decision in his life. A desolate boy at the end of the world in Rome, staring out at a city of millions of people but still desperately alone. A million pounding thoughts running through the mind of a girl in Madrid, convinced that she's too toxic for anyone to love. A bed of blankets in an abandoned pool near Berlin, holding a boy who can't stop running away. Scars covering the body of a boy here in Antwerp, without a place to call home and stomach slowly caving in on itself.

They don't know where Lucas will find Michaël. They don't know why that place will be important to the two of them- if it will be the site of a first kiss, a first meeting, a home that they will one day build together.

But they know how this story ends. They know the boys and the girl who come running or biking to their side, who take one look at the mess they have inside of their heads and refuse to leave them, who tell them that they're not alone, who promise _minute by minute_ , who have never left them since that day.

If there's one thing in the world that they know for sure, it's this: Michaël's already rescued Lucas from himself and his self-hatred. Now it's just Lucas' turn to rescue him back.

-

It's Wednesday night and they're all in the common room hanging out. Lucas VDH's gaze keeps drifting to his phone, waiting for a response to the text they all know he sent Michaël back on Saturday afternoon, but for the most part he seems pretty relaxed, sitting on the extra beanbag, talking to Nico and Marti as well as Cris and Joana about the more sci-fi aspects of the movie.

Then, at 21:21, Lucas' phone lights up with a text and every single one of them holds their breath, their hearts hammering in their chest. They watch as Lucas stares at his phone, his expression going shocked, then slack, then-

A smile. Soft, and small, but a smile, self-assured. Not scared, or worried- determined.

"I've gotta go," he says, and they all watch him take off, barely remembering to snatch his coat from the back of the sofa as he heads out into the Flemish winter outside.

The door falls shut behind him and they all wait until his footsteps can't be heard anymore before anyone speaks.

"Neither of them will ever be alone again," Isak says, nothing but joyous relief in his voice, and all around the room hands are squeezed and kisses are placed on cheeks and people curl into each other, relishing the fact that tonight Michaël and Lucas will find each other and they will never feel alone again.

-

Nico doesn't know what, exactly, happened to bring Lucas and Michaël back together. He doesn't know whether it happened at a bench or a balcony or a pool or outside the door of a flat or under a bridge. (He only knows that it probably didn't happen in a hospital, given that Michaël doesn't have a mental illness.)

All he knows is that one day Lucas had poured his heart out to Marti and Nico, another he'd been with them all when he'd gotten a text, and then he'd taken off. Then he'd returned, hours later, Michaël's hand in his, and they'd made their way to his room, barely stopping along the way.

They're not having sex, they all know that. They're not recovering from a depressive episode. They're not helping each other through the aftermath of a hate crime. They're having (hopefully) open and honest communication about boundaries and what sexuality means for the two of them.

If not minute by minute like the first four couples, then what? David and Matteo didn't have that, after all. Neither did Robbe and Sander. They had their own versions of promises to be there for each other, romantic in their own way, confessions and promises and words that fit each of them perfectly.

It makes Nico stop and wonder about it all. After all, he doesn't really know what kind of couple Michaël and Lucas are. He doesn't know if they're dramatic like Lucas and Eliott, supportive and clingy like Robbe and Sander, an old married couple like Isak and Even, playful and tactile like Matteo and David, steady like Cris and Joana, quiet and tender like him and Marti.

All Nico knows is that he wants for the two of them to work this all out, for them to be happy, for last night to have been the last night either of them will ever feel alone.

When the morning breaks with Michaël and Lucas kissing each other tenderly next to the stove, Michaël wearing a pair of Lucas' sweatpants and Lucas playfully stealing Michaël's glasses, Nico knows that everything's going to be just fine.

-

And what's the second reunion week without a party- especially a Christmas one?

Everyone gets invited to the common room, which has been decorated for the holidays, for a party. Not just the twelve members of the 6/6 squad- it's also Sander and Robbe's usual squad in Antwerp (Zoe, Senne, Milan, Jens, Aaron, the girls, even Moyo), and, of course, Lucas VDH and Michaël- and a surprise set of visitors in Isak and Even's boy squad, with Jonas spending plenty of time bragging about his and his girlfriend's most recent success in their Government classes while Magnus and Mahdi hang out with Milan and Senne, talking about a strange combination of politics and alcohol.

It's the first party that Michaël and Lucas have attended as a couple, and there's no cloud of a lingering depressive episode hanging over Michaël like there was for Nico, Joana, Even, and Eliott's first parties out. Instead Michaël is smiling easily, understood and accepted by the boy he loves who loves him just as much as he loves him.

Michaël and Lucas are rather affectionate, it's easy to see. Neither of them are Robbe or Eliott or Matteo, draping themselves over their boyfriend, but they're constantly by each others' sides, hands on each others' torsos and shoulders and brief kisses to each others' lips, small touches that reassure each other that they're still there.

They definitely are more like Cris and Joana or Isak and Even's style of physical affection, though only time will tell to see if they'll mellow out to a Marti and Nico level or maybe even progress to a clingier level of affection.

And as for how else they compare- well, Lucas and Michaël are definitely the most fashionable couple here, Joana's got to give it to them. While she and Cris definitely have a distinctive sense of style (as you could also argue for OG Lucas and David), Lucas and Michaël are actually _fashionable_ , what with Lucas' denim jacket over top of a red collared shirt and blue skinny jeans, standing next to Michaël's black leather jacket, dark purple button-up, and black skinny jeans. 

(And from Lucas' smug smile whenever someone compliments them, Milan even sweeping them both into a series of gay-guru-esque compliments, Lucas is definitely well aware of said fact.)

Michaël and Lucas travel the room together, attached at the hip, meeting everyone from the Flatshare Family to Robbe and Isak's boysquads to fully introducing Michaël to all the members of the 6/6 squad. Lucas' expression is incredibly fond and proud whenever he's looking at Michaël or talking about Michaël, while Michaël's expression speaks to just how lucky he thinks he is to have ended up in a relationship with someone like Lucas- expressions both of their counterparts can definitely relate to.

"You know," Lucas says with a small laugh when he, Michaël, Joana, and Even all end up in the corner of the common room, gathered around the table covered in various bottles of alcohol. "It's kind of funny."

Even arches an eyebrow. "What's kind of funny?"

"All of you guys," Lucas says, "And all of your stories. Even the ones from Jonas and Milan. They're all so...familiar."

Even exchanges a look with Joana, who's leaning against the table, sipping at her cider for the night. Joana and her counterparts don't really do beer anymore, as it fucks with meds for most of them (and David joins in out of solidarity, as well as just a general distaste for the actual flavor of the drink).

"I think there's a movie that you two would really like," Joana says with a smile, pushing off of the table, gaze flicking around the room, landing on David, Sander, Eliott, and Nico in quick succession. They wrote the movie they did for more reasons than just artistic or personal- it's a lot easier to slide someone into the parallel universe concept once they've seen the love story played out in a movie, after all.

"Oh, really?" Michaël asks, leaning forward in his seat just a little bit, though his hand never leaves Lucas' thigh. "What's it about?"

"It's sci-fi," Joana explains as David and Matteo drift by, David halting by them at the mention of an all-too-familiar project- the project that the six of them have poured love and artistic talent and hundreds of hours of collective work into. "About people whose minds are connected around the world, all falling in love."

"The main characters are all queer," David adds in between kisses with Matteo, "And there's plenty of POC and MI rep in there, as well."

"The script could always use some tweaking," Even says, an unspoken laugh communicated with Joana through the quirk of a smile and humor dancing in his eyes. "We'd love it if you wouldn't mind watching it and giving us some advice."

Michaël's eyebrows rise. "You'd trust me to look at your project?"

"Who else would we ask?" Joana asks. "None of us really have an literary talent like you do." She gives him a shrug. "And besides, we need a bit of help with the final scene, specifically. We're not entirely sure where we want the story to end."

"It's always the hardest part of the story to write, isn't it?" Michaël asks, and Even nods.

"You've got that right."

Lucas catches Michaël's wrist with the tips of his fingers, looking up at him with utter fondness in his eyes, that _already gone_ look that Joana knows Cris looked at her at the Iftar party on the roof, years ago. "You've definitely come to the right place to ask for writing help," he says in the same way that Cris told the girls that _Joana's the artist_ , the same tone that Cris and her counterparts gush over Joana and her counterparts, even years later. "Michaël's got plenty of talent."

Michaël looks at Lucas like he's looking at the sun, like Michaël is only a reflection of Lucas' brilliance, and Joana shares a look with Even, because she knows what it's like to be the one giving that look. To this day Joana knows that she doesn't take Cris for granted, just as Even doesn't take Isak for granted. Joana's still in awe of how bright Cris is, how much light that Cris sheds in Joana's life. "I don't know if I'd say that-" Michaël starts, and Lucas just rolls his eyes.

"Don't let him be self-deprecating," Lucas says as he leans over and gives Michaël a kiss on the cheek. "We'll watch your movie."

"Sounds like a great plan," David says, pulling his face away from Matteo's shoulder. "You can even watch it before you leave tonight. The editing's nearly finished, save for the final scene."

Michaël and Lucas share a look before Lucas shrugs. "Sounds good to me," Lucas says, Michaël affirming his agreement by leaning in and pressing a kiss to the corner of Lucas' mouth.

-

When the evening winds down, Lucas finds himself out in the courtyard, Michaël sitting by his side as they talk quietly about the movie they'd just caught an advanced viewing of- a movie that Lucas hadn't expected to hit so close to home.

It hadn't taken an artistic eye to realize the similarities between the story told by the movie and theirs- well, other than the whole "parallel minds" thing. Lucas knows that Michaël noticed it, too, from the way his comments about the writing had dropped out after a mere ten minutes of film, his fingers tightening briefly around Lucas' when the six main characters had kissed in a pool and then had woken up the next morning, cuddling in various beds across the world with their various boyfriends and girlfriends.

By the time they'd gotten to the end of the movie, where all of the characters met for the first time, at a party in London, Lucas had been staring at Michaël, something comforting sitting in his gut. (He thinks that he should probably be a bit more freaked out than this, but it somehow feels _right,_ watching this movie, seeing those pieces slip into place.)

"So," Lucas says, looking down at his and Michaël's entwined hands, "You really didn't find that movie weird?"

Michaël shakes his head. "It was familiar- to an almost impossible extent- but not weird." He gives Lucas the kind of smile that Lucas could spend the rest of his life falling in love with, over and over again, never getting tired of its warmth. "Reminded me of how I feel about you."

Lucas can't help but smile back. "And how's that?"

They haven't said the L-word yet- and Lucas wouldn't have expected them to- but Lucas knows how he feels when Michaël looks at him like that, all warm eyes and warm smiles and a million poems waiting on his lips. "Like I would travel to a million parallel universes if only it meant finding my way back to you."

At the mention of Lucas' parallel universe theory, the one they'd discussed that night cuddled in bed after their first kiss, Lucas can't help but lean in and kiss Michaël, who is more than happy to kiss him back, his fingers threading their way through Lucas' curls.

The door to the courtyard opens up and Lucas pulls away from Michaël to look up to find Sander, the closest of any of his new friends to him and Michaël in age- actually Michaël's age, exactly, considering the fact that Michaël's a year older than Lucas.

"You know," Sander says as he sits down with them, "Robbe and I actually had our reunion kiss here."

"Reunion kiss?" Michaël asks, voice quiet like it usually is, and Lucas finds his hand in between their legs, entwining their fingers together.

"After things went kind of south after our first kiss," Sander says, voice quiet and understanding as Michaël's. "Robbe came and visited me here and kissed me. Told me that he really liked me and that he wanted to get things right. I made a few mistakes after that- kissed my ex-girlfriend, for one-" And the breath lodges in Lucas' throat at that, leading him to turn and meet Michael's similarly startled gaze. "But we got things right, in the end." Sander smiles at the two of them. "As I'm sure you two will, as well. We always do."

"We?" Michaël asks, eyes wide, and Sander nods, looking back up to the window through which you can see everyone celebrating Christmas in the common room.

"We," Sander repeats, "All of us. It's kind of a long story, I've gotta admit." Sander looks at them with a brilliant smile, the kind of which Lucas recognizes from Michaël's lips. "But I know you'll love the ending."

Lucas thinks about Michaël. He thinks about how Michaël had told him Wednesday night, when Lucas had finally caught up with him in the library where they'd met, the library where Michaël had first shared poems with Lucas and brought sandwiches for Lucas.

(Lucas further remembers the night they'd both been partying, Michaël with Simone and Lucas with some girl he'd just met that night, and then they'd taken running back to the library, where they'd kissed for the first time in the rain under the streetlights in front of the library. That night had been the start of something wonderful, Lucas had known as he'd laughed into Michaël's mouth while Michaël's hands had gone to Lucas's waist, there on that near-empty street at midnight, the rain falling down on them.

He remembers heading back to Nico and Marti's flat- Lucas' home, here in Antwerp- and helping Michaël wipe off his rain-covered glasses, giving him a set of sweatpants to change into. Lucas remembers the way his heart had nearly burst out of his own chest, the way he'd already been half-in-love with a boy he'd only known for a handful of weeks, a boy who loved old books and Dead Poets Society and running in the rain and Elton John.

Lucas remembers knowing, even that first night, that this was the boy for him.)

In front of the library Wednesday night, Michaël had told him how he'd been told that there was something unnatural about him. Something inhuman. Something that needed to be fixed, because it's only human to want sex. He'd told Lucas how scared he was, how up until the moment Lucas had apologized, he'd never had someone accept him completely and fully, never had someone tell him that they loved him and wanted to be with him, no matter his lack of sexual interest in them.

"You're not in this alone," Lucas had said, placing a hand on Michaël's, there on the bench by the streetlight they'd first kissed under. "I'm here for you, and I'm in love with you, and you'll never have to feel incomplete again." He'd placed his other hand on Michaël's cheek. "Because you're not incomplete, you know? There's nothing wrong with you."

And then, tears in Michaël's eyes, they'd kissed.

Now, sitting in the courtyard, Lucas looks at Michaël and smiles, thinking about that movie, thinking about the fact that there is something here, with these people in the common room celebrating Christmas.

Later, Lucas knows he'll ask questions. Later, he knows he'll want to know details- he's a curious person by nature, after all. He'll want to know how Sander and Nico and all of their artist friends were able to tell a story so familiar to his and Michaël's.

But for now, though- for now, Lucas basks in this moment, allowing it to exist on its own, the closing of an old chapter and the opening of a new one.

"Yeah," Lucas says, smiling at Michaël as he squeezes their fingers together. "I think we'll love the ending."

**Soundtrack**

**Conversation with all of the Evens while working on the movie:** _Wait_ by M83

 **O Helga Natt:** _Let's Hurt Tonight_ by One Republic

 **Conversation cuddled in bed/working through everything:** _No Choir_ by Florence + the Machine

 **Final Party:** _Save Room_ by John Legend

 **Michaël and Lucas seeing the film/final conversation with Sander:** _Saturn_ by Sleeping At Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed my interpretation of the Lucas VDH storyline! It really means a lot to me both due to how I got to explore the previous Evaks in more "mentor" roles as well as getting to write the weirdest combination of outsider!POV and insider!POV at the same time due to the Evaks' knowledge of what was going on without actually being involved in the more intimate moments in the relationship. It also means a lot because of Michaël, who is both a writer as his "art" thing as well as is asexual as his "secret," which was rather important personally to me due to my own asexual identity. I can't wait to imagine where the two of them will go next, and I hopefully will write more with them going forward with this series- and I hope you guys will enjoy them going forward, too.
> 
> On a second note, I have a question for the readers of this series. I currently have a lot of a fic drafted involving the 6/6 (well, now 7/7) squad meeting Shay and her Even for the first time. Do you guys want me to wait for the official renewal/cancellation announcement of Skam Austin so that way I can adjust Shay's Even to the actual story and her Even's actual backstory, or can I just finish writing it now and post it anyway, even if it eventually gets jossed by canon? I'd love to hear your opinions.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading this fic and the series so far! I hope you've enjoyed it so far, and if you have enjoyed it, please feel free to leave a comment! The comments on this series have been utterly wonderful so far and have really motivated me to keep writing this. It's been absolutely wonderful to hear that I'm not the only person who wanted a multiverse fic (even if this grew far beyond the one fic with Robbe and Sander meeting Lucas and Eliott and maybe the other Evaks that I originally planned) and I just hope that I've been meeting your expectations/hopes for such a 'verse.
> 
> Hope you guys stick by for whatever fics come next!


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